Page 37 of Wicked Dove (Institute Thirteen #1)

TWENTY-EIGHT

ELODIE

Ican run when I want to.

The fresh air does something to me, something I can’t quite achieve on a treadmill, but the fact that I had already exhausted myself in the gym with Ocean means I run out of steam far quicker than I would like. Which is how I find myself splayed out on the grass all the way over at Institute Three.

I needed to breathe, and I was never going to do that back at Thirteen with the three of them so close. Especially Kael. I don’t know what the hell his problem is, but right now, I don’t care to find out.

He’s dumb, but not as stupid as I am for continuing to entertain him.

Last night was fun. Nothing more, nothing less.

I wasn’t looking for him to lay the world at my feet and profess his undying love for me.

I probably would have puked if he did, but I guess I expected a bit of understanding between us where he wasn’t always such an asshole.

But it looks like there’s no chance of that.

At least I managed to get the last word before I ran from the garage, and surprisingly, no one stopped me.

I ran until I had no steam left, but there’s a reason I paused at Institute Three.

It’s as derelict as Twelve is, which is really freaking enticing.

Yet I didn’t even bother trying to climb the fence. Instead, I flopped down here in defeat.

As much as I want to leave, to run and never look back, I made a promise to my friend, and she’s really starting to grow on me.

Six days. That’s how long I need to survive before I make another run for it, which I will definitely be doing as soon as I’ve kept my word.

I won’t stop. It’s not in my nature. Instead of seeing the six days as an anchor dragging me down and drowning me in the carnage that is The Vale, I take a deep breath and retrace my thoughts.

Six days is an opportunity. It’s a reasonable amount of time for me to come up with a solid plan and lock it in.

At least then, when the time comes, I’ll be gone.

I don’t want a slim chance of escaping, I want every chance.

Running my fingers through the blades of grass at my sides, I stare up at the clouds.

When I was younger, I would do this for hours, dreaming up fairytales where I was a princess, waiting for my prince to come and save me.

Back then, I didn’t realize how hard life was, but even more so, I didn’t know that I would never be the damsel in distress, the princess in desperate need of her prince.

That life was never for me. I was born to be my own hero, to slay the goddamn dragon myself, or in my case, the vampires, wolves, and shadow fae assholes.

They don’t know me well enough to understand what I’ve survived, so they have no idea what it is I’m willing to do to stay on my own two feet. But I’m more than happy to show them.

I smile to myself, mentally pumping myself up instead of tearing myself down for a change, and I soak it in.

It’s precisely what I’m going to need to get through the next six days.

Sometimes my mind is my worst enemy and I have to remember I’m more than my trauma, especially now that I’m learning to deal with the fact that I’m a scythe.

Whether I like it or not, and whether I make it out of here or not, that part will remain the same, and I’m going to have to learn to live with it.

“You shouldn’t be in there.” The icy tone cuts through the air, stiffening my limbs as I glance toward the pathway that encompasses The Vale to find a tall, dark-haired fae staring at me.

“I shouldn’t be here at all, Thorne,” I grunt, waving him off as I turn my attention back to the sky, but he doesn’t seem to take the hint and goes away. Instead, I can feel his eyes fixed on me, my skin prickling under his attention.

“You are your own worst nightmare, Elodie,” he finally says, and I scoff.

“I’m perfectly aware of how toxic I am. I promise I don’t need a stranger to tell me it too,” I retort, pressing my eyelids shut tightly as I take a deep breath.

I ran all of this way to escape them, and I somehow still find myself tangled up in their web.

“If that’s all…” I add, leaving my sentence open in hopes he’ll take the hint and go away, but I sense him take a step closer, his shadow casting over me and blocking the sun from my face.

“I will help you train.”

Peering up at him, I spot the determination in his eyes, but I shake my head immediately.

“No, thanks. I’ve had enough of you and your friends imposing on my life. You were there before when I told Kael I would do it myself, and I meant it.” Closing my eyes, I tilt my face away from him.

“I’m struggling to see the problem you seem to have.

You’ve been welcomed into Thirteen, offered aid and assistance at every turn, only for you to turn your nose up.

” He crouches beside me, his voice dropping an octave or two.

“You’re no better than us. We’re all in Thirteen for the same deadly reason. You would do well to remember that.”

It’s a warning, one I don’t like.

Pushing my palms into the ground, I sit up so we’re almost eye to eye. “Is it aiding or assisting when Kael throws the guardianship bullshit in my face every day?” I ask, eyes narrowing, but before he can respond, I keep going. “Was it aiding or assisting when Rion went crazy on Tiran—”

“In defense of your honor,” he interjects, and I shake my head.

“Only to put me on Professor Drayker’s shit list,” I bite back.

“And what about Kael? Was it aiding or assisting earlier when he was overbearing without even explaining what his issue was? You’re all fucking nuclear, and I certainly can’t handle another testosterone outburst. So like I said, I’ll train myself.

There’s always less disappointment that way.

” My chest heaves with every breath, but I’m not done.

“And one other thing. I know why we’re all at Institute Thirteen, so you don’t need to use it as a threat.

I’ve faced far worse and your attempt to scare me into submission won’t work. ”

His jaw ticks, his black eyes burning into mine, and I gulp, nervously waiting for his next threat. “I have more composure than that.”

I blink at him. That’s nothing like what I anticipated him saying. This must be some alternate universe. Either way, I cock a brow at him. “Are you forgetting how you acted after you healed my face? Or what about when you gave me these?” I push, lifting my hands to indicate my gloves.

His tongue flicks out over his bottom lip. “That was before I understood,” he states, and I scoff, certain he must be joking, but when I stare into his eyes, I can see the truth he believes in.

“Understood what?” I mutter, irritated with myself for entertaining him instead of shutting him down altogether.

“The reason why you are here.”

“And why am I here?” I breathe, uncertainty warring inside me.

“For me.”

I blink at him, waiting for the joke to come, but nothing does. I snicker, the feeling raspy in my chest as I shake my head at him. “Wow. I actually thought you had a reason. I didn’t realize you were just as self-absorbed as the rest.”

He purses his lips as he pushes to his feet, hands slipping into his pockets as his hair falls over his eyes. “Take your gloves off.”

I sigh, turning away from him. “I said I don’t want your help,” I remind him, but he doesn’t falter.

“It wasn’t an offer, it’s an insistence.”

I snap my gaze to his. “Listen, Thorne, you’re hot, infuriating, and an enigma, and I’m sure that works with the rest of the female population, but not today, and definitely not with me,” I grumble, shoving to my feet with a reluctant sigh.

It’s clear I’m not going to get any more peace here. I’ll have to look for another spot. The second I turn my back on him, dark smoke swarms my surroundings, blanketing me in his darkness. I turn to face him, fearful he won’t actually be there, but he is, standing tall, proud, and menacing.

“Thorne,” I warn, but he ignores me, the air growing thicker and colder as panic rushes down my spine like spiders climbing under my skin.

“Thorne,” I repeat, tears threatening to burst free as I wrap my arms around my chest. He does nothing but raise an eyebrow at me, silently telling me what he wants.

Anger coils inside me as my teeth start to chatter, and my pride evaporates into the darkness as I wrench my gloves off and toss them at his feet. “Happy now?” I bite, tears finally breaking free and tracking down my face.

I don’t know what I’m afraid of, I just know it’s anchored deep in my chest, and it’s all because of him.

“Do it to me,” he orders, eliminating the distance between us, and I frown at him.

I shake my head. “Whatever you’re doing, make it stop,” I splutter, and he sighs.

“Use your magic on me,” he insists, and despite the horror that clings to me and the need to make it end, I can’t bring myself to do it.

“No,” I whisper, trying to take a step back, but my feet are frozen in place.

“Do it,” he pushes as tears stream down my face in full force.

“I said no,” I insist, but he only crowds me more, to the point I start to lose my balance.

Instinctively, I push against him before I fall on my ass, but the second my hands connect with his chest, we both freeze.

His eyes flash white as his head tips back, and I gape in fear as the black smoke that consumes us swirls faster and faster, as if we’re in the eye of a violent storm.

With every spiral around us, the darkness begins to fade, first to a deep charcoal gray, then gunmetal, before it shimmers like silver.

I gape in wonder until the smoke completely disappears and Institute Three comes back into view.

Stumbling back from Thorne, my legs give out, but he breaks my fall before I collapse in a heap at his feet.

I feel exhausted, tormented, and on the brink of passing out, but if he notices, he doesn’t make it known.

Instead, he pins me to his chest as he breathes against my lips.

“See? Here for me,” he whispers, and I shake my head, disoriented and depleted.

“I don’t understand,” I mutter, curling my fingers around his arms as I try to get steady on my feet.

“Neither do I,” he admits, making me gulp as I manage to take a step back, putting some much needed distance between us. He doesn’t reach for me again as I rub my hands up and down my arms in a bid to rid the chill from my bones, but it’s futile.

“Don’t do that again,” I murmur, no longer interested in what the hell this is or what on Earth he thinks it might be. I’m over it.

“Don’t do what?” he asks, eyes slightly wide in confusion, and I scoff, but there’s no bite to it. I don’t have the strength.

“Don’t ever push me for your own gain like that again, or it will be me reminding you why we’re all sentenced to Institute Thirteen.”